


Attached

by Dunloth



Category: Naruto
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-16
Updated: 2014-07-16
Packaged: 2018-02-09 02:52:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1966194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dunloth/pseuds/Dunloth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Conversations and sentimental advice in a bar. All jounins are crazy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Attached

**Author's Note:**

> My original fic is in spanish, the title is Apego. I posted it here too.

Kakashi stands and goes away from the table where he is having some drinks with Gai, Anko and the others. He goes to the bar counter to meet Iruka, who is drinking a beer, alone.  
"You really like Genma, don't you?"  
Iruka is surprised by Kakashi's words, and he looks at him pretending that the question is not too personal and that it does not annoy him. He tries not to blush, but he can't help it.  
"Who doesn't like Genma-san? No one can resist him."  
An ambiguous answer, on purpose, in a neutral voice. Perhaps it will be enough for Kakashi. Of course, it is not.  
"That is, including you", Kakashi insists.  
"Yes, including me. I like Genma."  
"So, why did you reject him today, when he asked you to go with him to his place?"  
Iruka doesn't know what to say. He thought that his conversation with Genma outside the bar had been private. But as usual Kakashi is aware of everything. After a pause a bit too long he answers, staring at the wet circle that his beer bottle has left in the counter wooden surface.  
"I didn't feel like it."  
"If you are going to lie you should try a bit harder. You are not quite convincing."  
Iruka could tell him that it's none of his business, but it's quite unusual for Kakashi to take interest in other things than his missions and his books, so Iruka doesn't have the nerve to reject his questions. Though Kakashi's interest in this particular matter makes him a little nervous.  
"Okay. I wanted to go with him, but I think that I really should stop doing that. I'm getting... Attached."  
Kakashi snorts softly. "Attached? That's a funny way to say it."  
Iruka tries not to get annoyed at his words and replies calmly.  
"Kakashi-san, you have a gift for driving people crazy. As funny as it may be to you, it is really unpleasant to the victims. And they might tell you to go to hell."  
"You mean that this gift of mine can make my friends stop being 'attached' to me?"  
Iruka can't help chuckling at that.  
"I can't deal with you. Please, stop teasing me."  
"See? My 'gift', as you call it, can make you laugh as well. But do not change the subject. You were saying that you really like Genma."  
Kakashi trying to make you talk about something is like a dog with a bone. Iruka does not really trust Kakashi's advice in romantic matters, given his apparent lack of relationships, but they have been friends for a long time, and Iruka needs to get his concerns off his chest with someone. So even if they have never talked about these kind of matters before, Iruka sighs and decides to trust Kakashi with this.  
"I like him, and I should not. I don't want to fall for someone who doesn't have feelings for me."  
Kakashi takes a couple of sips of his beer, staring at Iruka with his only visible eye.  
"How do you know how he feels? Did you ask him about it?"  
Iruka thinks about the answer. No, he didn't ask him, but he doesn't need to ask. Everybody knows that Genma only does casual sex. To hope for anything else would be too naive.  
"I don't need to ask him. I know. The first time we were together he said it was no-strings-attached sex."  
"Mm, I think the key words there are 'the first time'. How many times have you been together?"  
"I don't know, it has been several months, he asked me to go with him several times, and sometimes it was me who asked him. Perhaps eight or ten times altogether."  
Kakashi nods. "That's it. Did you know, in all the time I have known him, I have never seen him repeating with the same person?"  
Iruka stares at him. "Never? With no one? It can't be true."  
"Ask Anko, or Raidou. Never more than once. I think things may have changed for him since his no-string-attached speech that first time with you. I think he might as well have got 'attached'."  
Iruka focuses in his beer again, thinking hard. Kakashi stands. Before leaving he puts his hand on Irukas's shoulder and speaks again.  
"Go on, ask him about it. One of you has to be the sensible one."  
Iruka watches Kakashi as he goes back to his friends, and muses on their conversation. He can still feel a ghost of the warmth of Kakashi's hand on his shoulder.  
After a while he shakes his head, disappointed, thinking that he deserves all of it because he already knew all jounins are crazy but he went and got involved with one of them anyway. He finishes his beer, pays, says goodbye to Kakashi and the others with a nod, leaves the bar and goes home. He'll try to sleep, although he knows he probably won't be able to do it tonight.  
Kakashi watches him as he leaves.

"What was all the talk about? You both seemed quite focused", Anko leers and asks, nosy. Kakashi stops staring at the door.  
"Important matters. Personal ones."  
"Did he say why he gave Genma the brush-off today?"  
"Didn't I mention, important personal matters? I'm not telling you."  
"I hope he listens to you. They are acting like dorks. And Genma still thinks we didn't notice! I want to see him with someone, I want them to make some progress. It's not funny now! And Genma should really get going. With that fixation with not doing the same person twice, he has to be running out of candidates. He must have fucked the entire adult population of Konoha, the people in this table included. If he doesn't make it up with Iruka he will have to go celibate."  
"It's so sweet of you to be that concerned about Genma's well-being and future."  
Anko wields a playful finger over Kakashi's mask, as if she were going to pull it down at any time. They both know she is not going to do it, but they know as well how much Anko likes to play with fire. Kakashi is always awake around her.  
"That's because he is interesting. He is more entertaining than you. Promiscuous is funny. You play too hard to get."  
"As far as you know, Anko. Perhaps I have a secret life. Perhaps every week I wear my old ANBU mask and gear and go out to find someone to fuck. Most people get off on ANBUs."  
"Perhaps you have fallen for Iruka and that's why you want to foist him on Genma, so that there is no risk of him getting too close to you."  
Bingo, Anko. Always hitting him where it hurts. Fuck, how does she do it?  
"And perhaps Gai will start talking in a low voice, and you will stop saying the first thing that comes into your mind. Who knows", he says.  
Kakashi doesn't even try to deny it. He can't fool Anko, never could.  
And it is true. Despite his advice Kakashi is just as pathetic as Genma. What a bunch of emotional cripples, he thinks bitterly. It's only logic that people say jounins are sick in the head. It's true.  
Although Kakashi's face stays efficiently blank, as usual, Anko realizes her words have hurt him, and regrets them, but it's too late now. She stops playing with his mask.  
"Ah, Kakashi, don't listen to me. I have drunk too much, for a change. Or too little." She turns to the other people in the table. "The next one is on me!"  
They don't talk about it anymore. A few drinks later Kakashi says goodbye and goes home.  
This time it is Anko the one who stares at the door after he leaves.


End file.
